You just never know what will happen during a restrictor plate race. I thought last week's race at Talladega was pretty good. Did not hear of anyone being upset with anyone, well, not until today.
Now I know why Kyle Busch was more than happy to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick.
I just got through reading this blog by Jay Hart of Yahoo! Sports "The Real World: NASCAR Style". *
I read it with interest. As how Jeff Gordon was upset with Dale Earnhardt Jr. who did not help him during last Sunday's race. And according to the blog, Earnhardt Jr. actually went to Gordon and apologized for not going with him.
What? Are you kidding me? Why in the world would Dale Jr. have to go to Gordon and apologize? Jr. decided to make a move that he thought would put him in a better position to win. While Gordon had decided that he would run 3rd or 4th. Because he did not want to be up front at that point.
So why is it not okay for Earnhardt Jr. to do the same thing for himself?
Call me crazy, but if Gordon, Johnson or Mears expect Earnhardt to run behind them and not try to win the race, Earnhardt Jr. is in for along, unhappy run at Hendrick.
Maybe someone needs to sit Mr. Gordon down and explain to him how being teammates work. You work together whenever possible throughout the race. But when it comes to go for the win, it is every man for himself. Not me and my teammate.
Dale Jr. all I can say for you is this: Remember Kyle Busch was with this organization last year. And he only won what 1, 2 races all year? And this year he is with Joe Gibbs organization. Nine races into this season and Busch already has 2 wins in Cup. 3 wins in Nationwide Series and 2 in the Truck series. And Dale Jr. has no Cup points wins. Not sure about the Nationwide series, but I think he has none there also. And he doesn't run the Truck Series.
I have just one question: Dale Jr. are you sure you made the right decision?
The NASCAR season is not even five weeks old and already there seems be alot of concern about safety.
That is funny especially since the car that the Cup teams are driving solely this year was built for safety.
Daytona has been the only race so far that has not been plagued by safety concerns in one form or another.
At California, it was the track that was the safety issue. With all the rain that fell that weekend, the track had weepers coming through the seams of the track. Denny Hamlin and Casey Mears had wrecks that were caused by the weepers on the track.
At Las Vegas, it was tires that were blowing out during the race. Tony Stewart had a horrific wreck after a right front tire blew. Leaving the two time champ wondering if he was seriously hurt. Stewart wrecked in the Nationwide Series race the day before, also due to a blown right front tire.
Also at Vegas, Jeff Gordon discovered another safety issue. This time an issue that no one was expecting. A protruding inner wall opening that is used for emergency vehicles. Gordon spun out and hit the wall. Causing major damage to his car. Fortunately no damage to Gordon.
At Atlanta, again it was a safety issue. This time the safety issue was once again the tires. Not tires blowing out, but tires with no grip. Goodyear decided to bring a much harder tire. And therefore there was no grip for the cars due to the lack of downforce that the new cars have.
Fortunately there was one bad wreck, and that was Elliott Sadler. But the problem for poor Sadler he had three other wrecks during the race.
Tony Stewart has been very vocal this past week about his dislike for the tire at Atlanta. And Goodyear has heard him loud and clear. From the moment that he opened his mouth, there has been a battle raging between Tony Stewart and Goodyear.
Since the end of the Atlanta race many other drivers have spoken out against the tire that Goodyear brought. Drivers such as four time champion Jeff Gordon and Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. But the more and more that I read, and the more and more that I hear. I am beginning to wonder if there isn't a bigger issue in NASCAR.
It seems that there is a bigger problem. And it is a problem that nobody really wants to talk about. But it is a problem that has been around since the inception of NASCAR.
And that problem is that NASCAR officials have way too much power. When a driver, car owner, track owner or anyone with a concern approaches them. It is as if they will let you talk. Express your concern, but then they will dismiss you like you had never said anything.
The first time this problem really seemed to have raised its head was back in the 1960s, when Curtis Turner tried to get a drivers union. NASCAR banned him for life in 1961. But then they reinstated him in 1965.
In 1969 Richard Petty and the sports top stars boycotted the first Talladega race in protest over the way NASCAR was doing business.
They were apart of the first and only Driver Union in NASCAR The Professional Drivers Association. It was not to be long lived. Because Bill France let it be known that if the top drivers wanted to race in NASCAR, they had to race by his rules. France brought in ringers to race at the inaugural race at Talladega.
Since these drivers wanted to race, they folded their union and went back to racing on NASCAR terms.
Every since then NASCAR has just runned stock car racing on their terms.
So as the 2008 season gets into full swing, that age old problem has once again risen its ugly head: Does NASCAR really listen to the drivers?
Time will tell if anything ever does change with NASCAR. But one thing is for certain, with a vocal driver such as Tony Stewart in NASCAR, there will be more battles. And he will certainly voice his concern.
J.D. and Joe Gibbs both have said that they cannot envision a way for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to come to their organization and have Budweiser as his sponsor.
J.D. has also said that Gibbs Racing will not be expanding to four teams next year.
So that being said that means that one of the Gibbs current drivers: Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley would have to be let go.
Tony Stewart, 1999 Rookie of the Year and 2 time champion, has a contract with Gibbs until 2009. Plus he is in the premier lead car. So I seriously doubt Smoke would be willing to give up his ride to have Jr. at Gibbs Racing.
Denny Hamlin, 2007 Rookie of the Year, not sure when his contract runs, but it is probably until end 2007. Gibbs is known for signing their drivers to 3 year contracts. He has proven himself a winner by winning 3 times last year (Budweiser Shootout and both Pocono races). Plus was the only contender for Gibbs Racing last year in the Chase for the Championship. So I seriously doubt Gibbs is going to let him go. They very well have already extended his contract for another 3-5 years.
So this brings us to J.J. Yeley. Yeley has not performed the way that the Gibbs teams had hoped. Last Yeley was more likely to wreck than finish. But this year, he has finished in the top 25 in all but two races. A 36th at Bristol and a 43rd at Texas.
With his best finish coming Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600 a 2nd. If there would been just one more lap to the Coke 600, it might would have been J.J. Yeley celebrating in Victory Lane instead of Casey Mears. But would've, could've doesn't win races.
But with finishes like this, Yeley might have finally proven that he deserves to stay at Gibbs Racing. If Yeley continues to perform at this level, he very well might finish in the top 15 in points this year. And J.D. Gibbs who has said, “We went to J.J. and said no matter what happens, if we go out there and we run well together, you’re here forever."
So is J.J. racing to keep his job? Yes, and with finishes like this he isn't going to go anywhere. The Gibbs organization is extremely loyal to their drivers. If this wasn't so, a certain driver by the name of Tony Stewart would not be their top star right now. He would have long been gone from Gibbs.
But Joe Gibbs and J.D. Gibbs believe in their drivers and if that loyalty is returned by top runs, they will resign you for as long as you want to be in Cup racing.
So if Yeley keeps his job, where will Jr. go? It doesn't look like it will be Gibbs Racing.
Congratulations J.J. Yeley on a super job Sunday night. Keep this up and you will be finding yourself in the winner's circle very soon.
Today as we go about our cookouts and celebrations, take a moment and think about those who have given so much for our freedom.
These are the men and women who have fought so bravely on the front lines for our country for 231 years. Many gave their lives for our freedoms. More of them lived with the scares and injuries of the war that they fought in.
They are True Heroes. They gave us their time and their lives so that we could live in a land of freedom.
Also, while you are remembering them, remember their families. Because of the love and support of their families they are able to do their jobs and do their jobs very well.
Thank you to all our men and women and their families. Thank you for your sacrifice.
We will always remember, so we will always be free. Thank you!!!
Congratulations to Kyle Petty for a 3rd Place Finish. It was so good to see a Petty back in the top 5. Hope that we see you there more often.
When will someone else besides a Hendrick Team Win?
Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see Casey get his first win, but enough is enough. It is time for someone else besides Hendrick to celebrate in Victory Lane.
At this point and time, I would even welcome a Roush win. (Did I just say that? I must be really tired of Hendricks! hahaha)
"We worked really hard, but we were never close," Earnhardt said. "I am a little sad, but I am trying to remind myself to be excited about what's ahead."
As An Era Ends Today,
A New Era Begins
Well all that is left to decide now is whom Dale Jr. will race for next year.
The end of era for the Earnhardt family came to a close today. Dale Earnhardt Jr. let it be known today that he was going to be leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season. This is the company in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been employed since the day he stepped into NASCAR racing. Whether it was Busch or Cup.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. started DEI so that he could leave his children a legacy that they some day would run. He brought his son Dale Jr. into the company to be its featured driver. He put Michael Waltrip in a second car, as a teammate to his son. Dale Sr. had a vision for his company that many knew about. But due to a tragedy in 2001 that took Dale Sr.'s life Dale Sr. never got to see that vision to full fillment.
Things were going along very well for DEI for several years after Sr. died. But somewhere around 2004 things seemed to change. It almost seemed that DEI was falling behind in the technology department.
As teams like Hendricks, Gibbs, Roush and Childress all made strides, DEI just seemed to have leveled off. The cars were not as competitive as they had been in the past. This was very evident on the restrictor plate tracks. This was the one track in which DEI dominated in 2001-2003. But in 2004, DEI was no longer the dominate car to beat at the restrictor plate tracks. That now fell on teams like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
So when it came time for contract talks between Dale Jr. and DEI, there were major issues that needed to be addressed. And evidently the two parties could not come to agreement on how to best fix those issues.
Dale Jr. wanted ownership of DEI. Because he felt that he could take DEI to the next level of competition.
Teresa Earnhardt evidently felt that she is the best person to take DEI to the next level.
Now time will tell if DEI will ever become one of the top tier teams again. My gut feeling is that unless DEI makes some major changes, they will never be a top tier team. Regardless of who they might hire as a driver.
Dale Jr. knows from his talks with other owners and drivers that there are things that DEI is lacking. And that is what he wanted to put into place for DEI. But because of the failed contract talks with DEI, Jr.'s vision for DEI will have to wait. I just hope that there is a company in place that Jr. and Kelly will be able to oversee in the future.
Because there is coming a day in which Teresa will step away from DEI. And that day may be sooner than later. But for now Teresa is still the head of DEI. Let's just hope that she does make the hard decisions that needs to be made to make DEI the best it can be.
As to where Dale Jr. will end up. Well, my gut feeling is either it will be Gibbs or Childress. With Childress being the most likely. The only way I can see him going to Hendricks is if either Kyle Busch or Casey Mears are on their way out. And since Kyle is performing as well as his teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, I can't see him leaving.
But the performance for Casey has not been what they had wanted. And since Casey is only into his first year with Hendricks, it probably would be a stretch for him to leave just yet.
Now Childress and Gibbs each have room for expansion to a fourth car. There is even speculation that J.J. Yeley might be out of the 18 car by the end of the season if things do not pick up. So there is more room for Dale Jr. at Gibbs. But the one problem with that is that Gibbs already has a big name star in Tony Stewart and a rising star in Denny Hamlin. Would Jr. really fit into Gibbs? Maybe, but not likely.
Dale Jr. seems more like the type of driver that Richard Childress likes to hire. He is quiet. Doesn't really call attention to himself personally. Like Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. And on occasion Kevin Harvick.
So where will he wind up? It is anyone's guess, but if I were a gambling person, I would put money on Childress Racing.
Brian Vickers is a driver in limbo. He will be leaving Hendricks to move over to Toyota next year to race for Red Bull Racing.
Brian Vickers is a driver without true teammates. Since Vickers announced his plans to leave, he has been left out of team meetings. Because the Hendricks organization doesn't want him taking corporate secrets to Red Bull Racing and Toyota when he leaves. Brian Vickers is probably the most distrusted driver at Hendricks Motorsports.
Brian Vickers is a driver who has just won his first Cup race.
Brian Vickers came into Talladega winless. He was looking for his first win. He has been with Hendricks Motorsports since 2004. He was the driver who Ricky Hendricks picked to take over his Busch ride when Ricky retired from racing. Brian and Ricky were great friends. And when Ricky was killed in the 2004 plane crash that took the lives of nine others. Brian pledged that he wanted to win a race in honor of his friend. Tony Stewart's pilot Scott Latham was one of those on board the plane and was killed also.
Brian has been a team player for Hendricks. He has helped to push the other Hendricks drivers to wins in the past two years. But Brian always did what he felt was best for the whole organization. Many times settling for a finish that would not give him the win, but one of his teammates the win.
But today, call it payback. Call it an accident. Call it bad judgement. No matter what you call it, Brian Vickers caused the wreck that took out the two front leaders, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, on the final lap of the race today at Talladega. The race ended under caution. And it took NASCAR a few minutes to declare Vickers the winner. But since he was running third at the time of the crash, it was pretty obvious that he had won.
So now the question has to be, Will Hendricks go ahead and release Vickers from his ride in the 25? After what happened today, I would not be surprised if Vickers is not released.
There are several factors that might me think that is something that could really happen. There are only 6 races left in this year. The 25 team will have a new driver next year, Casey Mears. Casey Mears currently drives for Chip Ganassi in the 42. Chip Ganassi has a new driver to take ove the 42 car, Juan Pablo Montoya.
Chip Ganassi might be more interested in releasing Casey Mears from the rest of his contract, so that Juan Pablo could get into the 42 car this year and get some seat time. And with the early release of Casey Mears would allow him to move over to the 25 car. And Brian Vickers will be out of a ride at least for the rest of this year.
Brian added to his value as a Cup driver for Toyota, by winning today. But he did very little to help his value as an employee for Hendricks Motorsports.
So could there be a driver change coming? Don't be surprised if it happens.
